Wednesday, September 01, 2010

180 (Degrees) South

Go to Netflix and download this movie....NOW. It is powerful, beautiful, and incredible.

It's a story about a guy, Jeff Johnson, and his quest to achieve a life-long dream to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, Jvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins (founder of North Face), and retrace an epic journey they made to Patagonia in the late 60's (Fun factoid: These two are best friends. How crazy is that?! The founders of two major outdoor apparel brands are BEST FRIENDS, how did I not know this!?). Jeff Johnson is a self-proclaimed "guy who works a 9-to-5 job so that he can disappear now and then to Yosemite for a climb or mainland Mexico to surf" who takes a chance on the adventure of a lifetime - and wins.

Our very good friends, Julie and Kyle told us about this film and because everything they suggest to us is right up our alley and awesome, we downloaded it. It is inspiring, visually spectacular and the kind of movie that makes you want to get up and do something amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack kicks some major butt.

Rent it. Download it. Buy it. Whatever. It's a must see. I'll close with Scott's favorite line of the film:

"If I don't get on that boat, I know what I'm going home to. If I do, my future is unwritten..."

Thanks for the flick tip! Loved it! When I started to follow your blog last year, we were refitting our new-to-us 30 year old boat and planning to head down the ICW from New England in Sept 2010, like you. Unfortunately, our house finally sold, but we lost money (like everyone else)....so we shipped our boat to San Diego and now liveaboard instead. Will take our cruising trip after we regrow some cash. So please, continue the great blogging, so we can live vicariously through you!

Hey Anonymous #2!! Thanks for the comment!! And if there is anything I've learned throughout this process (which is further amplified in the movie) - is that it's the journey, not the destination! So every step you guys take toward achieving your dream is a part of that journey!! Enjoy living aboard and hopefully we'll see you on the water!! Until then, we'll keep you updated! :)

Holy Mackerel, I am on a Windtraveler marathon mission! I am tearing through from the start and finding so many spectacular tips, enjoying your adventures and taking notes. Many notes! My Wife turned me onto your site months ago and I have occasionally visited, until recently. Now I am living on here. We are embarking on an adventure of our own you see. As you headed back to Chicago for your hiatus, our first ever sailboat is being delivered! And we are excited to explore life on the water with our one year old in tow. We've gone through a lot to get here and there's a long way to go. Your blog (read: lifestyle) is extremely inspirational, your book and movie suggestions are spot on. 180° South is awesome and does indeed get the adventure gears turning forward. Good luck with the twins!